Abstract
Various growth morphologies obtained in “silicate gardens” are described and the influence of salt type and silicate concentration are examined. It is demonstrated that these growths develop by an osmotic mechanism based on the semipermeable properties of the silicate gel membrane precipitated between the metal ion and the silicate. The osmotic effect is not confined to silicates but also includes aluminates and ferrocyanides — and in general, it probably applies to systems where a continuous colloidal gel membrane is precipitated between two aqueous solutions of differing compositions. The implications in relation to certain practical problems (i.e. the hydration of Portland cement, the corrosion of metals in an aqueous environment) are considered.
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Coatman, R.D., Thomas, N.L. & Double, D.D. Studies of the growth of “silicate gardens” and related phenomena. J Mater Sci 15, 2017–2026 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00550628
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00550628